


I'll Never Be Like You

by Tayloki



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Armin is single boohoo(I'm seriously sad), F/F, Fluff and Angst, Inappropriate Humor, Like three or four OCs, M/M, Mermaid!Armin, Mershark!(?)Jean, Mershark!(?)Marco, Mersharks are have human half shark people, One of them is gonna be Nebula (No not from Guardians of the Galaxy), POV Eren Yeager, That island has about a thousand or so people living on it, We'll call it Krimsom Island, humor too, mermaid au, mermaid!eren, mermaid!mikasa, occasional POV Levi, setting is on an island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-12-31
Updated: 2015-05-27
Packaged: 2018-03-04 15:10:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,484
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3072509
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tayloki/pseuds/Tayloki
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the middle of the Bermuda Triangle is an island called Krimsom. There are about a thousand or so people living on that island, unknowing of the merkingdom a mile away just beneath the surface of the ocean. Of those thousand are Levi, Hanji, Petra, Erwin, Mike, Reiner, and Bertolt. </p><p>Now, living in that merkingdom are about two thousand mermaids, including the queens, which are Mikasa and Annie. Unlike the stories, there are no rules against going above the surface or talking with humans. Just don't get caught by said humans. If you get caught, you're on your own and the merpeople will disappear for a few hundred years in hiding. </p><p>Enter young Eren. He and his best friend, Armin, are always watching the people on the island from secret areas where they can't be seen. One day Armin is forced to stay home to take care of his grandparents ad so Eren decides to go out alone, where he gets caught by a human...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Sooooo, it's like 2:40 AM and I should be sleeping or at least, typing a chapter for my other fanfic but noooo, I decide to write a new one. That's my life in a nutshell. Anywho, I hope you like this one! :]

"Eren!" I looked up when Armin whispered my name. "Do you see her?" I looked over towards the shore, watching a woman walk along the water line, holding hands with a toddler. 

"Yeah," I whispered back. "So what? We see women all the time."

If you're wondering how we know about the human race and all their history, it's because we steal their books. Armin and I are the quickest merpeople, able to glide easily and fast through the water. We both know all the best escape routes and our backup plans have backup plans. Which is why we are given the job of stealing any books left on the beach. Oh course we have to keep them dry until we get to a safe spot. Once there, we wrap the book in silk (it comes from our tails, almost as it we're shedding). The silk protects the book underwater and then we take it to the queens, where they read it to see if it's anything important. If it is, we're sent handwritten copies to learn in school. 

School isn't as often as you think. It isn't everyday like human school, which is outrageous if you ask me. We only go to school three times in the week. But it's an all day thing, from seven in the morning to seven at night. 

I guess you're wondering why we're sent up to the surface to retrieve books. Shouldn't there be a law against it? Nope. We read the books on mermaids and we all laugh when they say that it's treason to go up to the surface and talk to the humans. But in reality, it's not. It's your fault for getting captured by the humans. Which is why we go into immediate hiding for a few hundred years. 

Speaking of a few hundred years, mermaids don't have normal lifespans. Merpeople who don't have children(even the males, but I'll explain that in a minute) live forever. But they stay in one state of appearance. Humans call it the young adult stage. But merpeople who have children, males and females alike, age. 

It works like this. The child is born and needs a source of energy to grow. So naturally the child takes half of one parent's energy and half of another. That way, both parents begin to age as the child grows, usually dying once the child is twenty years of age. Armin's grandparents remain a mystery though, since both are still alive. Old, but alive. 

I watched Armin watch the woman walk up and down the waterline, singing to her child. Armin's tale was green, just like his mother's.

Mermaids are all sorts of colors and if a red and blue have a child, they do not make a purple tailed merchild. The child is either red or blue, not purple. There are purple tailed merpeople but only because one of their parents was purple.

Let me explain to you rainbow merpeople. They're very rare and can only get rainbow children if both parents are rainbow. If a rainbow mermaid and a blue mermaid had a child, they would produce a black mermaid. Which is what I am. My mother had been a rainbow and my father a brilliant blue. 

No one likes black mermaids because of how creepy we look. We have beautiful features but everything is black. As in our skin in a grey color, our eyes (even the whites) are black, our ears(which are fins) fade to black at the tips, our tails are black. We're creepy. Armin is a green tailed mermaid so his skin is a light greenish color, his eyes(even the whites) are are green and his ears fade to green. It's the same with all mermaids. But black merpeople are outcasts and not many survive when they're born because the parents leave them on their own to die. I was lucky. 

"I wish I could walk," Armin sighed. I rolled my eyes. 

"I don't. The ocean is better, Armin."

"It's more dangerous,"

"Sure, for a human. Not for us." I trilled at a fish, making it swim closer and rub against my tail before swimming off. Armin thought it unfair that our prey, the fish, were so comfortable around us. I thought it just made it easier to catch them. 

Armin sighed again. 

"Watching the humans, again?" Mikasa said from behind us. We turned, seeing her short black hair was loose about her shoulders, her silver crown resting on the top on her head, held there using tail silk. Pearls and small gems were curled around her red tail and seaweed wrapped around her chest, covering her breasts. She wore a red scarf about her neck, a gift I had given her when we had been younger. 

Armin flushed. "Just looking for any books."

"Mm hmm. Your grandparents are looking for you," Mikasa said. Armin nodded and we all swam down, deep enough that the light couldn't reach us. But we could still see as though it was as bright day and clearer than a window. As we swam, Krimsom Kingdom came into view, the lights the first thing we saw. 

It was like the Las Vegas of the merpeople world, full of exotic people and creatures. It was smaller but that was because the castle took up most of the space. The whole kingdom was divided into three parts. One part, the biggest part, was the castle, and if you stayed on the main current, you would reach it within the hour. A second part was the business area, full of big buildings, restaurants, cafes. The third part was the residential area. 

Mikasa departed when we reached the main current and Armin and I turned left, going to the residential area.

Krimsom Kingdom was built at the bottom of a huge trench, meaning that the castle was one huge, mer-made building while everything else was built into the walls of the trench. The trench stretched for miles in two directions, so there was plenty of space. There were still mer-made buildings, but us merpeople preferred to live in the walls of the trenches because we could easily hide. So the bigger buildings were made on the ocean floor, separating the current into three currents. The currents weren't very strong but you can still get pulled along by them if you're not careful.

Armin and I swam along the current until we reached house 106. 

"See you later, Eren!" Armin called as he swam up to the door. I waved before swimming up to the surface again, wanting to actually check for books. 

I swam towards the island, still underwater. A couple fish swam with me, their colors glinting off of my shiny black scales. I eventually met the drop off. It was ten feet from the shore. The floor sloped down until it met the drop off, going from two feet high to eight feet. I've seen children die from this, not expecting it and then suddenly falling through the water. I swam up until my belly touched the sand. I lifted my head, watching for any people. I saw none. I then swam quickly through the water, sliding past rocks and fish. I startled a manta ray, making me laugh. 

When I reached the usual book leaving area, I saw a large book halfway up the beach. I frowned and swam as close as I could be, still in the water. I reached for the book but it was still a foot away. So I dragged my self onto the beach, inching closer and closer to the book. Finally I grabbed it but just as I did, someone grabbed my wrist. I froze and looked up, seeing a woman with her brown hair in a pony tail and glasses perched on her noise. Oh God, I was going to be sick. It was a human. And I got caught. I pulled my arm back but her grip tightened. My eyes teared up as I struggled to break free, needing to get back in the water. That was where I got my strength. All merpeople did but once you take them our of water, they're not as strong anymore and become weaker than a human. 

"Come on, I won't hurt you. But someone is bound to see us and then things will get messy," the woman said, jerking me towards her, taking me further away from the water. I grabbed the book with my other hand, using tail silk to keep it stuck to my palm. The woman tilted her head curiously but continued to drag me across the beach. I whimpered softly as I felt the sun dry my skin. 

Mermaids can survive out of water, we just get really, really thirsty. The woman frowned before moving and scooping me up into her arms, shock on her face. 

"You're lighter than I thought you be," she mused before hurrying towards a white building. I clutched at her, not wanting to be dissected and experimented on. God knows what they'll do to me. 

The woman backed into the doors, opening them. She then carefully locked them. 

""Levi, Erwin! Get the big tank ready," she yelled, making me flinch. 

"Why?" I heard someone call back. 

"Just do it," she replied before setting me on the table. I waited for her to turn her back before rolling off. I landed with an oomf and began dragging myself and the book to the door. The woman sighed and picked me up again before setting me back on the table. I watched as she looked me over, touching my tail. I bared my sharp fangs, hissing at her. She chuckled and ran her hand along the length of my tail, watching me shudder. 

"Wow, a real mermaid...Is the tank ready yet?" She yelled again. 

"Yep!"

She scooped me up and carried me to a different room. 

"That's one hell of a fi-holy shit, what is that?" I heard someone say. I clutched the book, my eyes wide as I stared as the huge ass tank of water.

"A mermaid!" The woman said happily. She climbed up a set of stairs to a platform above the tank. "You'll ruin the book so I'll hold it for you." She grabbed at it but I yanked it back. I quickly began wrapping it in silk, ignoring their stares. I then rolled off the tank and into the water.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, the cold sure does bring out the wrinkles in my hands.

I could hear them talking but I wasn't paying any attention. As soon as I had gotten in the water, I rubbed the areas where the woman had touched me before lying on my side with my back to them. I've been doing that for an hour now and my hip was starting to ache. I hugged the book to my chest as I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing this was all a dream. 

"Isn't it supposed to have a blue tail? It looks boring," I heard someone say. I huffed and thumped my tail against the floor. Even humans hated me. Figures. 

"He has a friend with a green tail. I see them all the time taking books from the beach. Now I know how they keep those books from being ruined," the woman said. I sat up and twisted around, looking at her. She's been watching us?

I swam close to them, the book loose in my grip. 

"How long have you been watching us?" I asked her. They all stared at me blankly. Next to the woman were two men, one tall and one short. The shorter one had jet black hair and eyes as grey as gunmetal. He had an undercut and looked to be about ten years older than me. The man next to him had hair as blonde as Armin's and really thick eyebrows. The woman moved closer. 

"Can you speak? You look like you're saying something but I can't hear you," she said and I felt my ears move forward. Oh, I see. Humans don't have as good hearing as we do. I set my book down before swimming to the surface. I leaned over the edge of the tank, staring down at them. 

"How long have you been watching us?" I asked. The woman's eyes widened slightly. 

"A few months now. Do you have name?" 

I stared down at her, hesitant. It was dangerous to give a human a mermaid's name. With other merpeople, it's just a name. But with humans, using your name, they could call your name and you would HAVE to come. Whether you're buying a pearl for a girl or eating dinner with family, once they call your name, you're compelled to stop what you're doing and leave, going to where that person is calling from. 

"Yes...but I can't tell you," I said, meeting her eyes. 

"Oh...why not? I'll tell you ours first?" She offered. 

I shook my head. "Whether you tell me yours first or not, I still can't tell you. It's too dangerous."

"Well we can't call you mermaid for the entire time you're here," the short man scoffed. I huffed. 

"Fine. It's Eren." Mikasa is so-o-o-o going to kill me. That is, if I can get out of here. 

"Well, Eren, I am Hanji, these are my partners, Erwin and Levi," the woman said. 

"Partners? You're married twice? How strange," I mused. Hanji laughed. 

"No no! Not partners as in marriage but as in we work together."

"Oh, I see now." I crossed my arms on the edge of the glass and stared down at them. Levi huffed. 

"Why is your tail black?" He asked. 

"Why not?" I mumbled. "Because my mother was a rainbow and my father a blue," I said louder. 

I could see the confusion so I explained to them what happened when a rainbow and a blue have a child. 

Hanji wrote things down and I froze, watching her. Oh, shit. No! They can't know anything about mermaids! If they do, then they start thinking up possible weaknesses and next thing you know, mermaids are extinct. I dove under, grabbing my book and going to the farthest corner of the square tank. I then curled up as best I could with a tail and opened my book, prepared to ignore the humans outside. I scanned the front page, taking in everything with one or two glances. When you have to look out for threats in the water (like sharks and squid), you learn to be able to take everything in with one or two glances. 

About an hour later, I was done with the book. And when I looked up, I was surprised to see they were all still watching me. I swam closer to the glass, pressing my webbed hands against it. Maybe I can bargain with them to let me go. I swam up and crossed my arms on the glass again. 

"So...what will convince you to let me out?" I asked them, my tail twitching in irritation. 

"Oh, I can't let you leave," Hanji said, smiling up at me. I moved, gripping the glass. 

"What the hell does that mean? Of course you can let me go! I have a family, you know," I said, thrashing my tail. The hell they can't let me go! 

"I'm sure you do, but we need to learn all we can about you."

"What? Why? So you can kill us all? Well no! I am not giving you such information, you four-limbed freak!" I yelled at her. She stared back in amusement. 

"Interesting use of vocabulary but no, we are not trying to kill your kind. We actually want to protect it. When Krimsom Hayes founded this island, she met a mermaid by the name of Nebula. Nebula taught Krimsom all about mermaids and the dangers they face. Krimsom has taught her descendants and the people she came with about the mermaids and to protect them and keep them a secret from the rest of the world. Now that tourists have been coming here, we can't exactly let them see the mermaids. But if we try to block boats from coming here, then some other country, mainly the U.S, will assume we are enslaving our people and try to fight us over it," Hanji sighed. I blinked in surprise. Krimsom Hayes? The same Krimsom Hayes that founded _our_ kingdom? What the hell?

"What did this Krimsom Hayes person look like?" I asked, nonchalant. 

"Red hair, green eyes, tan. Dead now," Erwin said, his deep voice echoing in the nearly empty room. 

"You have a picture?" 

Hanji left the room and I stared down at the two men in silence. 

"'Four-limbed freak'?" Erwin finally asked, smiling. I huffed. 

"Well it's true, nut-ball. You have four limbs and I have three. Duh," I crossed my arms on the glass once more. Erwin chuckled as Hanji came back in. I was only about seven feet off the ground, so I reached my arm down. 

"Don't get it wet," Hanji warned. I huffed and pulled my arm back, rubbing my hand along my tail to get the silk. I then stretched my arm towards her. 

"Um, no you just got your hand wet again!" Hanji put her hand on her hip. I rolled my eyes.

"Trust me, please?" Hanji grudgingly gave me the picture and I quickly rapped it in silk. The silk was like glass, see through. I stared down at the woman before handing it back and then slowly sinking down to floor. And I laid there, staring up at the ceiling. Holy roll-y poly. Their Krimsom was the same as ours. I needed to talk to Mikasa. She'll know. But first I needed to get out of here.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy New Year!

It was late before they decided to go home. I wasn't tired (mermaids never are, we just choose to go to sleep). So I watched as Hanji jumped onto Erwin's back and he carried her out of the room, Levi trailing behind. He paused at the door, turning back to me. 

"Good night, brat," he said, nodding at me. I waved slightly, staring at him in wonder. That man was awfully strange. Once they left and only the lights from my tank were on, I swam to the bottom, grabbed my book, and then propelled myself out of the water. I landed hard on the floor, curling up in pain. 

"You're awfully stupid," I heard Levi say from the shadows. I looked up at him in surprise. "Hanji had wanted me to stay and look after you," he added. I sighed and moved into a sitting position, rubbing my side. 

"I need to get home," I said, glaring at him. 

"Too bad." 

I bared my fangs at him. "I don't want to have to make you but I will!" 

Levi rolled his eyes and moved forward. 

"Go ahead. Try. See what happens," he said as he got close to my face. I opened my mouth and began to sing, only to get cut off by Levi shoving a piece of fabric (A/N: It was a sock) into my mouth and then tying my hands behind my back. I glared at him as he dragged me by my tail to lean me against the glass of the tank. 

"Shitty brat," he grumbled as he sat back in a chair and watched me. And so I sat there, all night, a piece of fabric in my mouth and my hands bound behind my back. Not a very pleasant sitting position but at least it was quite. I didn't try to thrash around because I saw no use in doing so. 

When the lights came on that morning and Hanji and Erwin came in, both laughing and talking, I was still glaring at Levi, who hadn't moved from his spot. But he stood when Hanji and Erwin came in, going over to them.

"I watched the brat. I expect a raise from all the trouble he gave me," Levi said. I thumped my tail in annoyance. Hanji gasped and ran over to me. 

"Levi! I don't know what will happen if we leave them out of water for too long!!" She began to untie my hands and I tensed. Levi watched me. 

"Um, Hanji, I would do that if I were you..." he said, but Hanji ignored him. Once unbound, I pushed Hanji backward, making her stumble. I then tried to drag myself to the door, only to be picked up. I tore the fabric from my mouth. 

"Let me go, you landwalker, you lump of flesh, you no good thing on two legs! I'll feed you to the sharks! Or better yet, I'll give her to Mikasa and tell her that you left me out of water for hours! You'll wish I gave you to the sharks!" I thrashed about. "Just fucking wait until I get in water! You'll regret keeping me here!" I was then shoved into the tank where I began to not just breathe in the water but actually drink it. I was extremely thirsty. Once I was done, I pressed my hands against the glass and grinned at them. 

Hanji stared at me, concern crossing her features as I pulled my arm back, my hand curled into a fist. I then hit the glass, a huge crack reaching out from the spot I hit. 

"Oh shit," I heard Levi say before I punched the glass one more time and it broke. The water carried me to the doors where I opened them, continuing to let the water carry me to the front doors. Once there, I unlocked and opened them, flopping out onto sand. I was one hundred yards from the water. I could make it. 

I lined myself up an began to roll. Stopping every now and then to adjust myself, I rolled and rolled until I reached the water. 

"Stop!" Hanji called, all three of them running towards me. 

"You're all gonna get it!" I yelled before rolling into the water and swimming to the drop off where I then swam along the wall. Once I reached the current to Krimsom Kingdom, I swam with it, reaching the city within the half hour. I rode the main current all the way up to the castle where I made my way to the throne room. Bursting in, I could see Mikasa and Armin swimming together, talking in hushed tones. They saw me and Mikasa cried out in relief, both rushing over to me. 

"Oh Eren! We thought you had gotten captured," Mikasa hugged me tightly, crying. "I thought I had lost my brother."

I hugged back, remembering the fear of not knowing what was going to happen to me. 

"Thing is...I had been captured. But I escaped," I whispered, pulling away and looking into Mikasa's eyes. 

"Eren, tell us everything," Armin said, grabbing my hand. 

And so I told them how I found the book, leading to where Hanji had dragged me to the room and touched my tail. We all shuddered at that. Only mermaid's lover was allowed to touch each other's tails besides the parents. It was intimate and not to be let done freely. I continued on and told them of the tank they had put me in until I reached the part where I had broken the glass and rolled to freedom. 

"Mikasa...Their Krimsom Hayes is the same as ours. How can that be if she was born a human?" I asked Mikasa. She turned away, her arms crossed. 

"Well...there's a way to turn human's into merfolk, Eren. It's super easy so that's why only few know how. But they become semi-mer."

"You don't mean.."

"Yes. They're able to shift between forms."

"But that's something only rainbows are able to do...Oh my...Are you saying rainbow merpeople are half human? _My mother was half human_?!" I stared at Mikasa, my eyes wide. Mikasa nodded, not meeting my eyes. 

"Why do you think there are so few of them? Why do you think that when they mix with full merpeople, their children are as black as death? They aren't natural," Mikasa said softly. I shook my head, shocked. 

"I...I just don't believe this," I breathed. Well, shit. My mother was half human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good night, my friends! Thanks for the kudos! :]


	4. Chapter 4

I sighed and turned back around to Mikasa, noticing the gills on her sides were flared, showing her worry. I swam towards her, grabbing her slender hands. "You wanna help me get back at some humans?"

Mikasa smiled and tilted her head. "The ones who captured you?"

I nodded and twitched my tail in irritation at the thought of that one male human whose name was Levi. 

"Did they hurt you?"

"Well...no, but one of them did tie me up and leave me outside of water. He was such a fish," I huffed. Mikasa ruffled my hair. 

"They were the one who told you about Mrs. Hayes, correct?" I nodded. "Maybe we should make nice with them instead," she added. I scoffed. 

"Right! Like I would make friends with some nasty humans. Puh-lease," I grumbled. Mikasa rolled her eyes. 

"I'm getting Nebula and you and her are going to become friends with the humans, alright? Nebula's done it once, we can do it again." Mikasa turned and swam away, calling for a servant. I grumbled under my breath and glided over to Armin. 

"What was it like? Be up there on land," he asked.

"Terrible."

Armin was silent and I glanced over at him. He was staring at the ground. 

"It was...strange. The sand felt different and I was weak. I've never been so weak. I mean, I've fought off Orca whales but being out of water limited me. All I could do was roll and even then I wasn't very fast. Though one thing was the same. Human's don't find me pretty like other normal merpeople." I sighed and moved to touch the string of beads I wore around my hips. Except they weren't there. I went rigid, looking down. "Oh my God. I have to go back."

"Why?" Armin asked. 

"I lost my beads," I whispered. Armin gently touched my arm. I looked up to see Nebula enter the room. She was a purple tailed mermaid with her matching purple hair tied back with a ribbon(many mermaids have hair that matches their tails. There are few whose hair doesn't match). Her brown eyes were clouded over, hinting at her blindness. Black pearls were wrapped around her tail, along with a pouch holding a sharpened seashell(our version of a weapon) and flesh colored patches showed that she was missing scales. Her breasts were wrapped with linen, clipped in the back with two King Crab claws, somehow strong enough to hold the linen together. She had scars all over. Immortality does not come without a price. 

"Nebby," I said, smiling as I swam over to her. She placed her hands on either side of my face. 

"Eren! How are you, sweetheart? Good, I hope. How's Armin? Your mother? I haven't spoken to Grisha in a long time," Nebula said, grinning at me. She had memory problems, sometimes stuck in the past. 

"Nebula, I told you, my parents died. Armin is right next to us, though," I said, grabbing Armin's wrist and pulling him closer. His tail twitched and he smiled at Nebula, though he looked irritated. 

Nebula reached for him, her hand finally touching his shoulder. She laughed happily and pulled Armin close, hugging him. "Armin!"

I turned away, seeing Mikasa watching us. I moved over to her. 

"Okay I'll go," I said, crossing my arms. Mikasa narrowed her eyes. 

"Why the sudden change of heart?" 

"Well...I lost my mom's beads."

"Eren!!" Mikasa's hands twitched as though she wanted to throttle me. I wrung my hands, looking away. 

"I'm sorry! I'll find them," my voice cracked. Mikasa sighed and kissed my head. 

"If you ask, I'm sure the human's will help you. You can have as much time as you want. Just keep your eye on Nebula. Okay?" Mikasa looked into my eyes and I nodded. She nodded and moved away. "Nebula! You and Eren are going to make friends with some humans. You've had more experience than any of us with them. Take care of Eren, all right?" 

Nebula's face grew serious. "Of course. Come, Eren. While we travel to the island, I'll tell you all the do's and don'ts." Nebula grabbed my hand and I led her out of the castle and out onto the main current out of the kingdom. 

"Stay in the water. Human's are stronger than us when we're out of it. Don't let them trick you into going too far on land. Stay as close to the water as you can and always be aware of your surroundings along with how many humans there are around you. Do you have a weapon?"

"No, ma'am," I said respectfully. Nebula pursed her lips before she continued to talk. She was the oldest known mermaid, said to have been one of the original eight. The other seven were her siblings, the true rulers of the mermaid world. When Nebula departed, wanting to be dependent upon herself. Soon after, the other seven(three women, four men) made a pact, to protect their kind They then separated years later after producing more merpeople (incest did not affect us as much as it did humans), going to each of the seven oceans. In each ocean, each of them set up their own home in they way they liked and let their children choose their way. The Great Seven are still alive(no one is sure how, seeing as they had children) but it was hard to find them. The only one who knew exactly where they were and as crazy as Nebula was, she wouldn't give their locations up. She would give up tid bits about them but that was it. 

"Nebula?" I asked after a few minutes of silence. 

"Yes, dear?"

"Why are the Great seven still alive even though they had children?" I asked hesitantly. Sometimes she would close up when asked certain things and not speak until she felt like it. 

"Because way back when, no one died after having children. It was those damn half-breeds that screwed us over. If they hadn't mixed in with us, mother nature wouldn't have made it so that we all were punished, especially our children." She shook her head. Half-breed was a vulgar term for those who were semi-mer. 

"That's why? I always thought it was because the child needed the energy from both parents," I said, looking at her in shock. 

"That's just something my siblings made up to protect the half-breeds from the rest of us." 

We swam in silence. 

"Why protect the semi-mers instead of the black merpeople?" I asked quietly. Nebula quietly sighed.

"Eren...If they hadn't protected the half-breeds, then black merpeople wouldn't exist. You wouldn't exist. And I quite like you. So as much as I dislike the thought that black merpeople are being mistreated when the half-breeds deserve it, I'm glad it turned out this way." Nebula smiled at me. I could see us nearing the island. 

"Why don't they make a law, then?" Nebula laughed at that. 

"I've been alive a long time, dear, and I know how everything works. If they make one little law, then everyone would find it unfair and want them to make more. Sooner than you think, you wouldn't be able to go to the surface anymore. You would be in prison just for looking at a human! It wouldn't be worth it. My siblings want all their children to have free will and choose what they want. Having to take all that way would sadden them."

"What are your siblings like?" 

"Beautiful. We were born in a certain order. The humans call it Roy G. Biv. Which is how they were named."

"What were their names?"

"My brother's names are Ray, Orta, Yahto, and Beck. My sister's names are Glimmer, Irvetta, and Vivianna. I was born last and had the same tail color as Vivianna so I was named Nebula. I don't know why though since it doesn't follow the pattern," Nebula said, frowning. I patted her arm and she smiled. "You must keep all this a secret, alright? My siblings prefer to live in secret." 

I nodded and gripped her hand once more. "I promise."


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh goodness. Writer's Block sucks major butt. Plus, my depression has been hitting me really hard for the past couple of months. I'm really, really sorry for taking so long. I'll try to make this a really long chapter. I've gotten so many kudos and comments(1 comment to be exact :] ), so thank you all for the kudos and comment. I love you all very much and again, thank you for reading this!

Once Nebula and I broke the surface, I led her over to the area I had been captured. The beach was empty. This made me immediately suspicious. Usually around this time of day, the beach was packed with humans. I told Nebula to swim quietly. And that's when I saw him. 

Levi. 

He was holding my strand of pearls, the ones my mother had given me so many years ago. He was leaning against the tree, swinging the pearls back and forth as he watched the ocean. He hadn't seen us yet, so I led Nebula over to a cluster of rocks.

"Levi is here."

"Levi? Who's that?" Nebula brushed a strand of hair behind her ear, staring at me blankly. 

"He's one of the humans who held me hostage," I said, scowling. Nebula giggled. 

"You're a fool sometimes, you know that? Getting caught by humans." Nebula turned away, scoffing. She felt along the rocks. "Help me, Eren. I want to talk to this Levi."

I sighed and grabbed her upper arm. I pulled her over to the beach, right in Levi's view. He narrowed his eyes before walking towards us, his boots kicking up sand. Strange, humans usually wore sandals when at the beach. He was dressed rather nicely, wearing a blue polo and black pants, along with a white lab coat. He walked as far as he could without the water touching his shoes. 

"Get closer, Eren," Nebula told me, pulling against my hand. I sighed and helped her closer, making sure we stayed in the water. Nebula looked up at Levi, training her blind eyes on him. It was uncanny how she knew where anyone was. Scary almost. "Hello!" Said the crazed woman. "I am Nebula. You must be Levi, one of the three who stole Eren."

I rolled my eyes. She had a habit of making it seem like she knew more than she really did. Levi nodded and looked at me. 

"Yes, this is true."

Nebula offered him her hand. He didn't take it. 

"Disgusting. I will not touch your wet, webbed hand." Nebula laughed at that. It was then that Hanji came running towards them frantically. 

"Levi! Levi!!" She gasped, stopping beside him. She stared at the two mermaids before her. "You!" She cried, pointing at Nebula. "You're Nebula! You taught Krimson all about the merfolk!" 

Nebula smiled mischievously. "Indeed, I did. But we are not here to talk about the past. We are here for Eren's pearls."

"These?" Levi held them up. I nodded and reached for them. But Levi didn't hand them over. "Oh, no, they're mine now."

"No! You can't have them!" I cried, moving out of the water. Nebula shrieked and yanked me back by my tail just as Hanji went to pull me forward. 

"Eren! You dunce! What did I tell you?!" Nebula hissed at me, hugging me tightly. 

"I'm sorry," I muttered, ducking my head. Hanji stopped her foot. 

"You land lovers have always been sneaky and cruel. But trying to steal my little boy?! You've gone too far!" Nebula raged. Aside from Mikasa, Nebula had also taken care of me when my parents had died earlier than expected. I had always been her 'little boy'. I patted Nebula's cheek. 

"Nebula, calm down. I'm okay." 

"Only because I saved you."

"Yes, I know. Thank you." I turned back to Levi and Hanji. "Look, I would really like my pearls back." 

"Come and get them," Levi taunted. I sneered. Stupid human. 

I could feel the waves around me getting rougher with my anger. The waves reacted with our emotions if we weren't too careful. 

"Give me my beads."

"No." 

I took a deep breath. 

"Please?"

"No." 

"That's not fair!"

"Who said I had to play fair? Tell me why they're so important and maybe I'll give them back."

"They just are. Please." I begged, edging closer. Nebula followed me, looking tense. 

Emotions crossed Levi's face, but to me, they were unreadable. He slowly leaned forward, holding the beads out to me. I reached for them. I gently grabbed a hold of them, feeling their smooth texture.

"Thank y-" I started to say right when Levi yanked them away, pulling me with. The cord holding the beads snapped, black pearls going everywhere. I yelped and Levi wrapped his arms around me, pulling me from the water. I cried out for Nebula. She tried to pull me back. But at that moment, Erwin appeared, pulling her from the water. She hissed and clawed at him, flailing her tail but nothing happened. They carried us inside the same building I had been taken to when I first had been captured. Tears threatened to spill as they put us in separate tanks, this time with stronger glass. I hit the glass over and over, trying to break it but nothing happened. Nebula looked furious as she swam around in her own tank. 

Eventually I just laid on the floor, curling up on my side. I cradled my sore hands against my chest and tried to sleep.

 

_Levi_

Hanji was becoming frustrated. She kept asking the fish questions but they only gave her silence. I was just glad the boy wasn't hitting the glass anymore. It quickly became annoying to hear the _thud thud thud_ of a fist against the glass over and over. Erwin and I kept watch some nights, playing cards or just sitting in silence, watching as the fish swam. Sometimes they would twist and turn, glancing at each other. It almost seemed as though they were talking through their swimming. 

"C'mon! Just answer this one question! Where is your city located?!" Hanji yelled at the fish. Eren glanced at the woman. She twisted and Eren watched before twirling through the water. As much as I hated to admit, these were smart creatures and by now, I'm pretty sure they're communicating with their swimming. They then went back to just swimming in circles, giving her complete silence. 

"Hanji, give it up already. They won't tell you anything," I told her, sounding bored as Erwin and I played War.

"No! We caught them for a reason."

I rolled my eyes. 

Hanji went back to pestering the fish and I continued to play my game with Erwin. I was feeling a little guilty now. Especially since I had broken Eren's pearls. _No, don't feel guilty. It was his own damn fault,_ I thought to myself, scowling when Erwin won the game. Shitty eyebrows. I stood then. 

"I have to go take a shit," I said bluntly. They were all used to it by now so I barely got a response.

I walked past Eren's tank to get to the bathroom.

"I hate you," he said softly, so softly, I was sure I had imagined it. But when my eyes met his, I knew I hadn't. This fish hated me and it showed in his eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy. I had this ready last week and I never posted. I'm so sorry everyone. I love you all. I hope to update my other fic and this one very soon.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, everyone. I'm really trying here. I love this one more than the other one because I have ideas for this one. For anyone who has read Empty Coffee Cups and A Paper Full of Words, do you have any ideas? Don't hold back, I'm open to anything and everything. Thank you all for the comments and kudos. \o/

Nothing mattered to me anymore. 

Those pearls had been the only thing I had left of my mother. 

I knew I was driving Hanji insane with my silence. She kept asking me about the city or who the queen and king were. She asked what we were taught in schools, if we even had schools. But all I did was lie on the floor of the tank, curled on my side. Nebula wasn't much better, just blankly swimming around her tank, ignoring Hanji like I was. 

"C'mon!" She cried, pounding her fist on the glass. "I need to know what you eat!"

I curled my lip over my teeth. 

I didn't want to eat. All I wanted to do was rip Levi apart. I glanced over at him, seeing him play a game of cards with Erwin. 

I then looked over at Nebula when she started to laugh. It was the first sound she had made in the few hours we had been here. 

"You're so stupid! A fool! Eren is the most stubborn merman I know. He won't tell you anything until he's ready."

Hanji made a sound of frustration. 

"Fine. _You_ tell me."

"Seafood. We like seafood. It's not like we can get chicken Alfredo," Nebula smirked. Hanji huffed and hurried away, mumbling to herself about rude mermaids. 

I rolled over onto my other side, turning my back to Levi and Erwin. I didn't want to look at him anymore. He disgusted me too much. 

My ears twitched when a chair scraped against the floor, indicating that someone stood up. 

"What was so special about those pearls?" Levi asked Nebula quietly. I narrowed my eyes. 

"What do you care? _You_ broke them," Nebula snapped.

"Just answer me."

"They were given to him by his mother."

I rolled onto my stomach, crossed my arms on the floor, and buried my head in them. I didn't want to hear what they were saying. Stupid Levi. How could he have done that?

Some say mermaids can't cry. Others say their tears can heal any wound. Instead, we cry diamonds. They seemed to fill the tank as I tried to cry my pain away. 

_Levi_

It must have been some illusion. It had to have been. When I looked over at Eren's tank, it seemed to sparkle, as if there were gems in the water. But there couldn't have been. 

"Eden hates you." 

I looked at the crazy mermaid, Nebula. She was leaning against the tank, messing with the linen cloth that covered her breasts. 

"I know."

"Mermaids have strong emotions. He probably wants to kill you." 

"That's a bit of a stretch..."

"You broke his prized possession. It's almost like you broke him."

I stared at Eren, seeing his shoulders shake. He was crying. 

"I think, if you did something really, really nice, maybe he wouldn't hate you as much," Nebula said, swimming away from the glass. I watched her before saying a few parting words to Erwin and going outside. I jogged to the beach, scanning the sand for any black pearls. 

They glittered in the sun. I dropped to my knees, making a slight sound of disgust when the wet sand dirtied my pants. I scooped up the pearls, counting them. 

The only reason I knew i didn't have the exact number was because Hanji made me count them in case they broke. 

"Shit...I'm missing two..." I set them down in a pile away from the rising tide. I then searched the beach, digging through the wet sand. "Jesus, where are...they.." I finished softly, realizing something. 

I watched at the ocean water flowed over my knees. I knew where they had gone. The water had carried them into th water. I was going to have to jump in and get them. 

"This should be fun," I mumbled as I pulled my shirt over my head. "You're fucking lucky, fish." 

I jumped into the cold water, gritting my teeth as I ducked under to search for the pearls. Soon I was at the drop off, staring down into the murky darkness. And that's when I saw them. They were glittering faintly on the edge of the drop, close to falling. I inhaled deeply before diving down. I scooped them up and made my way to the beach, shivering from the cold water. I wrapped all the pearls into my shirt and jogged back to the science building. 

I went to my lab and sorted the pearls on to a long string. It was stronger than what they had been on originally. 

After an hour or so of frustration, I finally had the pearls on the string. I hade made knots so they wouldn't knock against each other. 

Making my way back to the tank room, I realized that I had been cruel to Eren. More so than usual. The poor fish didn't really deserve it. But I wasnt going to become all mushy and shit towards him now. But I would back off a bit. Just a bit. 

"Oi, fish," I said, walking up to his tank. My eyes widened when I saw that there _were_ gems in his tanks. Diamonds to be exact. 

Eren looked up, his eyes narrowed in hatred. He slowly moving into a sitting position when he saw the string of pearls in my hand. 

"I fixed your pearls...sorry for breaking them," I said quietly, walking up the stairs to drop them into the tank. Eren caught them and held them against his cheek. He smiled faintly. 

"Thank you, Levi."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alrighty, how was that? Long enough? No? Okay. But I love you all! But again, please, if you have any ideas for ECCAPFW, would Love to hear them! 
> 
> Also, I did this on mobile, so sorry for any mistakes!!


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyysssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss. I REALLY need your help for Empty Coffee Cups and a Paper Full of Words. PLEEEEEEAAASSE. Does anyone even read these??

I sighed happily as I wrapped the beads around my tail. It felt great having them back. I felt complete. I guess Levi wasn't so bad, but it was his fault in the first place. So of course I was still a little bitter. I watched him continue to play cards with Erwin. Sighing once more, I swam up and leaned over the edge of the tank. Hanji hadn't come back yet.

"I am bored," I announced. No one said anything. "Hellooooo? I'm BORED."

"Okay? What do you expect me to do about it?" Levi said, looking up at me. I scowled before drifting back down to the floor. I had scooped the diamonds into a pile, keeping them in a corner. I didn't want Hanji to see them. I've heard of crazed scientists torturing merpeople just for their tears. I coursed my fingers through them, sighing softly. I tried not to cry much. Because of this very reason. I hated diamonds. 

"I am back!!" I looked when Hanji entered the room, throwing open the doors. Levi rolled his eyes while Erwin stood up. "I hope you mermaids are ready to begin talking."

I curled my lip over my teeth, glaring at her. She pressed her face against the glass and smiled, waving. "Hello, Eren. I see you have your pearls back. Will you talk now?" 

I shook my head. Hanji narrowed her eyes glancing around the tank. Her gaze landed on the gems. 

"Oh my...are those...diamonds?" 

I froze before moving in front of them, frantically shaking my head. Hanji looked at Erwin. "Get Eren out of the tank."

"Hanji..."Levi started. 

Hanji only waved her hand. "Shush. Don't tell me you're actually feeling something for the mermaid. We both know how much you hate them."

I looked at Levi. So he had been luring me in with kindness. Ouch. I touched my pearls lightly before swimming away from the platform at the top of the tank. Hanji wasn't going to get me out. Never. I watched Erwin go over to a valve in the wall, turning it to the left. Slowly the water in the tank became less and less. I started banging on the glass walls.

"No! Stop!" I cried, laying on the floor, flopping my tail. Out of water, my tail was very cumbersome. 

Hanji grinned and set up a ladder. Erwin climbed down and lifted me in his arms. He smiled apologetically before throwing me over his shoulder. I let out an 'oomph' before pounding my fists on his back. He climbed out and Hanji clapped her hands in excitement before leading him into another room. Just before the doors closed, I could see Levi watching me.

Erwin laid me down on a table. He stayed until Hanji had me strapped down.

"No..." I whimpered, stretching my fingers towards his back as he left. Hanji placed suction cups on my temples. Wires were attached to them. I flexed my arms, letting out a noise of frustration when I saw that I couldn't break the straps. 

"Don't worry, Eren. I'm just going to give you a little shock~" Hanji giggled. I struggled harder.

Hanji twisted a knob before pushing a grey button. I jolted, arching my back and opening my mouth in a silent scream as wave upon wave of electricity pulsed through me. And then it was gone. I fell against the table, panting softly, twitching.

"No tears yet. Let's turn it up a notch." 

Again I was jolted, this time letting out a scream. Tears clouded my vision.

Hanji turned it off and turned the knob once more. "Almost there!" She cried excitedly. 

"Please..." I whispered right before she turned it back on. I screamed as I cried, diamonds falling on the table and floor.

 

_Levi_

I clenched my jaw when I heard Eren scream. I knew what Hanji was doing. And I couldn't stop it.

"Hey! What's happening? What is she doing to Eren?!" Nebula hissed, hitting the glass. I frowned, glaring at the doors.

"She's torturing him." I didn't exactly like beating around the bush. 

" _Torturing_?! Why? For answers? I'll tell her! She doesn't half to fucking hurt him!" Nebula smacked her tail against the glass. I partially raised my eyebrow. 

"No. She saw the diamonds. She's to make him cry to get more. Science isn't exactly cheap, you know," I mumbled, turning to look at Nebula. She slowly sank to the floor. 

"She'll kill him."

 

_Eren ___

__I cried until I couldn't anymore. The floor was covered in diamonds._ _

__Hanji unstrapped me and called for Erwin. He lifted me up and gently carried me back to the tank room, setting me on another table._ _

__"You got this, Levi? I have to go meet Mike..."_ _

__"Yeah, I have this."_ _

__Erwin nodded and left. I blankly stared at the ceiling, feeling numb. Levi moved into my line of vision and stared down at me. It must have been the electricity that made me see how attractive Levi was. With his straight, pointed nose and his serious grey eyes. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair, just to see if it was as soft as it looked. Levi gently wiped my forehead with a rag._ _

__"You're sweaty? How?" He murmured to himself. I blinked slowly, watching his face._ _

__"It's a human trait I got...from my mother," I breathed, closing my eyes. Levi wiped my arms and chest._ _

__"I'm sorry, Eren."_ _

__"It's okay," I whispered. I opened my eyes and stared up at Levi. He was watching me closely. "Levi?" I asked after a few moments of silence._ _

__"Yes, Eren?"_ _

__I stared up into his gunmetal grey eyes, reading the emotions in them. I pulled him down by his collar, our lips inches from each other._ _

__"Have you ever kissed a mermaid before?" I breathed before pressing my lips against his and kissing him._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel as though one day, you guys will find me and beat me up in a parking lot because of these short chapters.


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